Policy context

• Author: Biletta, Isabella; Vanderleyden, Julie; Brandsma, Nils; Weber, Tina
• Pages: 2-3

Ensuring high quality of

integration

The policy debate around the integration of

individuals with a foreign background into the

EU labour market has several strands, based on

country or region of origin. A major focus

continues to be the mobility of EU nationals in

the context of freedom of movement, as set out

in Article 45 of the Treaty on the Functioning of

the European Union. The EU has long

promoted the freedom of EU workers to move

across borders and has emphasised equal

treatment, including in relation to working

conditions.

The EU also seeks to boost economic

development and address labour market

imbalances through the legal migration of

third-country nationals and was given the

power to legislate in this area by the

Amsterdam Treaty of 1997. Since then, the EU

has adopted several directives covering the

employment of non-EU nationals, all of which

include measures to ensure a level playing field

and to promote equal treatment. These include

the Blue Card Directive (2009/50/EC) to admit

highly skilled workers, which the Commission

is proposing to revise in order, in part, to make

it more inclusive and to improve workers’

rights. The Single Permit Directive

(2011/98/EU) has among its objectives to

ensure equal treatment of third-country

workers and nationals of the Member State of

residence. The Directive on Seasonal Workers

(2014/36/EU) includes rules to help prevent

exploitation and to protect the health and

safety of seasonal workers, and it provides

them with a complaints mechanism.

The Commission adopted an Action Plan on

the Integration of Third-Country Nationals in

June 2016 to support Member States in

developing actions to integrate legally resident

non-EU nationals. Among the priorities it

identifies are language learning for newly

arrived migrants and vocational training to

upgrade their labour market skills.

In light of the 2015 migration crisis, there has

been a specific policy focus more recently on

the labour market barriers faced by refugees

and asylum-seekers. The European Partnership

for Integration, signed by the European

Commission and the social partner

organisations in December 2017, concentrates

on the integration of refugees, laying down key

principles and commitments to support and

strengthen opportunities for them.

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Policy context